Ken Masters

• Character name: Ken Masters
• Species: Human
• Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
• Weight: 5'9" (175 cm)
• Eye color: Blue
• Hair color: Black (dyes his hair blond)
• Blood type: B
• Measurements: B114／W82／H86
• Title: Framed Champion
• Birthdate: February 14
• Age: 33 years old
• Relationship Status: Single (divorced)
• Fighting style: Ansatsuken
• Likes: Spaghetti, pasta, family, skateboarding
• Dislikes: Umeboshi, soap operas, pointless meetings
• Occupation: Martial Artist, Hotel-Business Tycoon, Construction Worker at SiRN's Metro City branch
• Rivals: Guile (family rival), Ryu (friendly), Gouken (friendly), Chun-Li (friendly), Cammy (friendly), Sodom, Vega, Birdie, Laura (friendly), JP
• Skills: Cooking pasta dishes
• Relationship's: Julia (sister-in-law), Guile (brother-in-law), Chris (niece), Gouken (master), Ryu (best friend/fellow apprentice/rival), Sean Matsuda (disciple), JP (former business partner), Avatar (disciple)
• Appearance: Ken is very muscular with toned abs, large biceps, thick thighs and a toned round butt. Ken has dyed blond hair wearing a hooded jacket that reaches below the knee and the sign "Eagle Shipping Company" ("E.S.C." for short) at the back of his jacket and has white folded sleeves that reaches through his mid-forearm. Underneath is a black tank top, red trousers with a loose gray drawstring and yellow high-top sneakers with blue linings at the back. Ken also wears his classic yellow gloves, along with a pair of black training gloves and a family necklace on his neck.
• Personality: While Ryu is serious and stoic, Ken is his opposite—stylish, unorthodox, unpredictable, and more aggressive. Ken has a big ego, often boasting about his greatness. Despite his brashness and arrogance, he has a kind heart, is friendly, easygoing, and values family. He never backs down from a fight, no matter how tough it seems. The only exception to this is in Dan Hibiki, who ridiculed and taunted him unprovoked before, only to be beaten by him after.

Like Ryu, Ken believes in honor, hard work, discipline, and respect, which he learned under Gouken's tutelage. He treats rivals and mentors like Gouken, Ryu, Terry Bogard, and his brother-in-law Guile with high regard. Ken is also a devoted family man, almost skipping the tournament to stay with his ex wife Eliza near her due date, only entering after she reassured him. Even during the event, he called her to check in and remind her about being careful around the stairs. Both Menat and Rose note that starting a family has softened his once-fiery spirit, making them wonder how long his drive to improve will last compared to Ryu's.

Later on Ken appears more somber after the Nayshall incident. He lost control of his own company, and is framed, with people being wary or hostile at him. His desperation to save his son Mel leads him to detonate a hijacked drone and fight Luke, leaving Luke scarred. Working at Eagle Shipping Company and mentoring the Avatar, Ken regrets his past recklessness, seeing it as among the cause of his troubles. His thirst for vengeance and revenge against JP for framing him leaves him torn over whether to take lethal action. He declines Guile's assistance and refuses to return, not wanting to endanger his family and brother-in-law. In Terry’s storyline, their rivalry turns friendlier, with Terry sensing Ken’s current mood after the Nayshall incident. After their fight, Terry’s encouragement lifts Ken’s spirits slightly.

• Friends/Allies: Ryu, Ryu is Ken's best friend from his childhood, as the two have trained in the same art of Ansatsuken for a long time. They share a very close bond with each other and will help out each other no matter the cost. Both of them have also trained together under Gouken. One can see that they care for each other and never quarrel. Ken’s able to notice when Ryu isn’t in the right state of mind as shown in the Alpha series, where Ken gave him his red headband in order for Ryu to stay focused and not lose his way.
• Background: Born and raised in Japan, Ken lived a normal life with his Japanese father and ½ Japanese American mother. When he was in junior high school, Ken started dyeing his hair blonde and became a delinquent. The reason behind this is due to his parents being at odds with one another while neglecting their child. Both were on the verge of divorce until Ken started misbehaving, which resulted in his parents settling down and living in harmony. Ken, however, kept his hair blonde as a warning to his parents so they’ll never forget the events that transpired.

When Ken was about 12 years old, his father sent his son to train under his best friend during the summer, the mysterious karate master Gouken. At first, Ken was very hesitant to learn from Gouken, even questioning his training methods, but later began to respect his master. Ryu and Ken would later become best friends and each other's principal rivals.

When Ryu was 23, Gouken decided that both of his pupils had grown up to be fine fighters and decided that their training was over and could now leave the dojo. After Ryu and Ken's training was complete, Ken casually asks Ryu which of the two will be the most famous martial artist first. While Ken goes to the United States, Ryu travels to Thailand alone, in order to face Sagat, the Emperor of Muay Thai, which is said to be the strongest martial art. After arriving in the United States, Ken competed in many different Martial Arts tournaments, winning most of them.